


Inching Closer (Or More Like Being Shoved)

by ImSoCatastrophic



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: I hope i didn't screw this up too much, M/M, Michael is just a geek as always, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Jeremy, Wish me luck, au in which michael and jeremy haven't met, jeremy is a theatre nerd, oh god what have I done, reference to Heathers the Musical, squip squad, this is gonna be so fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-13 21:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImSoCatastrophic/pseuds/ImSoCatastrophic
Summary: Jeremy and Michael just met for the first time after a production of Heather the Musical.Time passes and the closer they get the more suspicious Christine gets.Will the squip squad be able to help?





	1. I Have Nothing Better To Do On a Friday Night

**Author's Note:**

> okok so this is my first multi- chapter fic. I usually have really low writing motivation (this chapter took 4 days) so please spare me if I don't update super fast. Feedback is appreciated!!! 
> 
> I hope you all like it, Thanks for reading! <3

“Heathers the Musical, Friday 7:30 pm” Michael was staring at a poster on the wall near his locker. Looks like the school was putting on another musical. He thought through it and eventually decided to go. It’s not like he had anything better to do on a Friday night. He turned away and collected his things from his locker, sighing as he headed to English.

There he was, on a Friday night, sitting in a darkened theater. He had considered staying home, maybe it would have been the better option, but nobody could see him like this and he really didn’t need to stay up until 3 am playing video games for the fifth night in a row. His attention was drawn back to the stage as the lights went up to show a short girl he’d seen around in the halls dressed in a blue coat. He relaxed in his chair and prepared himself for the next two hours.

It wasn’t bad, in fact, it was better than he expected. The Heathers had good singing voices and.. shit. The actor playing JD had just entered on stage, and even though he was wearing a way too big trench coat and had black markings under his eyes, his bright blue eyes and curly hair made Michael’s heart flutter. Jesus Christ, Michael you don’t even know him. Stop being so /gay/. He smiled and watched JD recite his lines. He was clearly not used to being intimidating and Michael couldn’t help but chuckle when the actor slightly stuttered while confronting Kurt and Ram. Michael tried to collect himself again, dreading the next two hours of his heart pointlessly beating in his throat.

The musical continued and when Michael heard JD’s voice he thought he was going to cry it was so amazing. Or maybe it wasn’t amazing, but it was amazing to him. Then his mind started to wander. What if the guy hated him? What if he's disgusted? What if he gets weirded out? What if he embarrasses Michael in front of everyone? He shook it off and decided that at the end of the show he would slip out silently and nobody would know he was there. He had quite a problem with running away from his problems.

The musical was coming to an end and Seventeen Reprise just finished. He was preparing himself to get up and leave before the lights turned on until he met eyes with the actor playing JD. He was just getting up, looking back at the curtain call before he left, when the boy’s shiny blue eyes connected with his dark brown ones. He froze up instantly, it was as if he couldn’t move. They held eye contact for probably too long to be socially acceptable until the actor blinked and turned his head to his co-star with a wide smile. Michael was still paralyzed and he sat back down slowly.

He dug out his playbook and flipped through the pages to find the other’s name. ‘Jeremy Heere’ was written in bold black letters under a picture of him. He was smiling timidly and his hair was covering half of his face. Michael was mesmerized, he wasn’t sure if it was possible for the boy, Jeremy, to be any cuter but here it was. Michael lowered the playbook and smiled wider, clapping his hands loudly as the cast members bowed.

* * *

Jeremy jumped up and down with excitement during the curtain calls, looking out into the crowd and then back at Christine’s shining face. The curtain calls ended and he skipped off stage to grab a water bottle, and then came back to thank everyone for coming. It was a high school production so not many people showed up, but it was nice to see the people who did and thank them for it. Occasionally Jeremy would even get nice comments or high fives. It made him happy to know so many people liked what he’d spent months on. He sat on the edge of the stage with the rest of the cast, watching people leave. He particularly looked out for the guy he saw earlier, seated in the back. He probably left already, but he could hope.

The last of the people were filing out and most of the cast had gone backstage to get out of their costumes and relax. Jeremy was thanking the last few people until he saw a shadowy figure stir in the back of the theatre. It was the boy from earlier, and he was approaching the stage. The closer he got, the more Jeremy could tell about him. He was relatively tall, had a big red sweatshirt on, and wore squarish glasses. The sweatshirt was covered in varied patches and.. was that a Pac-man patch? Jeremy smiled and kept his eyes focused on the boy walking towards him. He looked.. nervous? Jeremy couldn’t figure out why; he hoped he wasn’t too mean as JD.

“Hello, Thanks for coming! Hope you liked it” He piped up as the other got closer. He watched his face go from calm to slightly panicked to calm again.

“Oh yeah, it was really great. Love your voice, dude. Jeremy, right?” Wow, his voice was nice, no Jeremy not now. He collected himself enough to respond.

“Yeah.. Jeremy. Thanks. you are..?” He received an answer quickly as if the other had been preparing it in his head.

“I’m Michael. Nice to meet you, Jeremy” Michael smiled and Jeremy decided to bring up the patch.

“so.. you’re into pac-man? I saw the patch on your sleeve I’m just wondering” Michael chuckled.

“Yeah, if into means obsessed with. It’s hella cool so what can I do.” Jeremy grinned.

“You are? I haven’t found anyone else who is that’s awesome! I mean.. yeah it’s pretty great.”

“If you think that’s cool, check this out” Michael pulled up his sleeve to reveal a pac-man tattoo. Jeremy stared in amazement and reached out to touch it, quickly pulling away after a few seconds once he realized it was probably weird. He was completely stunned and still asking why someone like Michael would go see a musical.

“That’s.. wow. That’s incredible.” Michael chuckled and pulled his sleeve back down

“Yeah, it’s not much but it’s still pretty great.” Jeremy was in awe.. he’d never met someone with the same interests as him, much less willing to talk to him.

Unfortunately, the conversation eventually had to come to an end. Today it was cut short by Christine popping out behind the curtains.

“Jer, is everyone gone yet? We need to clean up the props” She quickly noticed she interrupted something, but by then it was already too late. Michael smiled apologetically

“Sorry for keeping you, have a nice night, good job” He waved and then shouted to Christine “Nice job too, your Veronica was incredible!” before he left through the doors at the back of the theatre.

Jeremy watched Michael leave before sighing and turning to Christine.

“Made a new friend?” She asked while leading him backstage.

“Yeah, sort of. I mean this is the first time I’ve actually met him.. he probably won’t talk to me again.” Jeremy followed her and frowned slightly “It’s not like he’d want to” Christine rolled her eyes.

“I think you should just talk to him on Monday, then you’ll find out for sure.” He nodded slowly considering his options. Yeah, he was going to talk to Michael... if he could manage the courage.


	2. Jazz Hands and Plotting Christine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are awkward and Christine thinks something is up and she'll be damned if she doesn't get to the bottom of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy second chapter sorry it took so long I hope you like it <3
> 
> also i appreciate feedback pls and thank you

Jeremy shoved his things into his locker. Monday morning at school, exactly where he didn’t want to be. The weekend had been pretty nice. He celebrated with the rest of the cast; did another show Saturday night. The show had gone well, even better than the one on Friday. More people showed up and he’d finally stopped stuttering. He rested on Sunday, catching up with his homework. Then of course, as every single weekend did, it had to come to an end.

He groaned as he remembered his first period. Who the hell thought gym on a Monday morning was a good idea? Nobody that’s who. Except maybe the people who didn’t have to suffer anymore. He looked down the hall, dreading the possibility of walking into someone he didn’t really want to talk to. Then he spotted Michael.

Michael was walking alone down the hall, headphones on and his hands in his pockets. Jeremy gave himself another of the at least 20 pep talks he had given himself over the weekend and watched Michael. He hadn’t been able to get the boy out of his mind for reasons he couldn’t even infer. He didn’t have much time before class, and this might be his only chance to talk to Michael again. He took a deep breath and walked up to Michael, gently tapping him on the shoulder.

***

Michael felt a slight tap on his shoulder and instantly turned around. Nobody ever talks to him, especially when he has his headphones on. He was met with the boy he’d been trying to get out of his mind since Friday night, Jeremy Heere. At first, he was confused, scared even. What the hell did he want? Then he managed to collect himself and he pulled off his headphones.

“Hello?” He asked, still hesitant. You could never know, people acted differently when surrounded by people than when they were alone. To his surprise, Jeremy seemed happy to see him.

“Hi.” Jeremy smiled almost nervously, but there was no way he could be nervous. Why would he be nervous talking to people, he was up on stage in front of strangers.

“Can I help you?” Michael was confused to say the very least.

“Uh. no just wanted to say Hi, you know.. “ Jeremy edged away slowly “I guess I’ll just go then” He motioned behind him.

“No- wait. Sorry, just nobody talks to me usually, so when someone does it’s like.. wicked strange.” Jeremy only smiled softly and turned back to completely face Michael. “I didn’t really expect you to even remember me so I'm just surprised.”

“Oh. Well, I remembered you so-“ Jeremy smiled widely and did jazz hands in the air, clearly cringing at himself as he put them down a few seconds later. He looked down at his feet and bit his lip. Michael couldn’t keep himself from laughing. He first covered his mouth and then gave up, laughing loudly while he watched Jeremy. The shorter boy was avoiding eye contact as if he was hoping that if he didn’t see Michael, Michael couldn’t see him. He laughed quietly at himself and then shrugged. “sorry?”

“No, it’s fine, really. That was.. you’re so weird.” Michael tilted his head, watching Jeremy’s face for feedback. He quickly added “But a good weird. A really good kind of weird.” No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t manage to rip his eyes away. Sure, they were standing in the middle of the hallway before first period and everyone was looking at them, but who the hell cares, not Michael. He could have stood there forever, just looking at the other boy. Of course, just like weekends, all good things must come to an end. Once again, this end was Christine.

“Come on Jer, you’re gonna be late” She came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, just an arm tugging on Jeremy’s. She was completely oblivious to the world until she looked up and met Michael’s eyes. A look flashed across her face quickly, something akin to suspicion. Michael didn’t know what it was, but the fact that she hid it so fast bothered him ever so slightly. It was a mischievous look. She really did deserve her role as Puck in last year’s play. Michael was jerked back into reality by Jeremy’s voice.

“So.. see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Bye Jeremy.” Michael smiled and watched Jeremy wave goodbye as he was pulled along by the much shorter Christine. He stared until the pair turned the corner and he caught the last glimpse of Jeremy’s smile. A light fluttering field his chest and he knew it was what he dreaded. He was crushing. Hard.

***

  
Jeremy was thrown around the corner and greeted by Christine’s wide smile. She squealed and Jeremy looked at her in confusion.

“You two are so cute together!” Of course. He forgot how much of a fangirl Christine was.

“We aren’t dating- and it’s not like I even like him or anything. He’s just cool so I want to make a new friend.” Christine was unconvinced and she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Sure, Jeremy. Even though it totally looks like you’re in love with him.”

“Am. Not.” He stated, unsuccessfully trying to keep his face at a normal temperature. He wasn’t, right? Of course not, he barely knows the guy. The girl facing him shrugged as if she'd given in, but the twinkling in her eyes hinted at a more diabolical nature.

“Of course. Now get to class! We need you for rehearsals for next weekend and we can’t do that with one of our leads in detention.” Jeremy nodded at her and rubbed his head.

“Of course. “ He muttered to himself while he went back to his locker. This was going to be a long week and he just knew it.


	3. What are we, Elementary Students?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Michael are childish and Christine is ready to spill her plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow ok I'm sorry this was so short and sorry it took so long I was on a trip this week and I didn't have much time to write. Also, this was going to be a short chapter anyways so sorry. 
> 
> I hope you like it, feedback is always wanted! <3

The bell rang and echoed through the halls. Finally, lunch. The one time of the school day that Michael was able to relax. Sushi, slushy, he was all set. He shuffled through the halls, following the masses of students all heading to the same place. He sat down at the same table he does every day. It was empty, as usual. He pulled out his lunch and took one final glance around the cafeteria before slipping his headphones on. He was lost in his music and at first didn’t notice when someone sat down next to him. Then, the person waved slightly and said something. Michael turned and took off his headphones to find Jeremy sitting next to him, smiling uneasily. 

 

“Oh, Hi. Sorry, didn’t see you there.” Jeremy pursed his lips as if he was uncomfortable and Michael wanted to take everything back. Can’t he just make normal conversation? Then Jeremy chuckled softly and Michael’s anxiety faded. 

 

“Oh um, Hi. Just wanted to ask if you want to come sit with me and my friends” He pointed at a table halfway across the cafeteria. Six people were sitting there, only one of them looking at him and Jeremy. He recognized it as Christine and sighed. He really wanted to sit with Jeremy, but he wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to sit with a bunch of other people he hasn’t met. What if they asked him questions or tried to talk to him? He knew he could easily talk to Jeremy. It came naturally, they could follow an easy conversation without even a stutter getting in the way. But with Jeremy’s friends, he couldn’t tell if it would be that way. He frowned slightly and responded. 

 

“Oh.. thanks but I’m alright. Not really a people person, sorry. Thanks anyways.” Jeremy’s face fell. That’s what Michael was worried about. 

 

“Okay. Sorry.” Jeremy got up and waved before shuffling away. The look on Jeremy’s face nearly broke Michael’s heart. 

 

“Jeremy, wait” He reached out to grab Jeremy’s arm and keep him from leaving. The other boy turned around, waiting for Michael to continue. “Do you want to maybe sit here?” 

 

As Jeremy sat back down, across from Michael this time, Michael realized how silly this whole back and forth was. He was getting worried about sitting with people. They were high schoolers, god damn it, how childish could this get. He shook his head and focused on Jeremy and their conversation. 

 

***

 

Across the cafeteria, Christine was watching the interaction. She turned around with a mischievous grin. Jenna was the first to notice. 

 

“Christine, you ok?” With that, the rest of the table turned to look at Christine. She was known as a plotter, but it was rare. The last time she was like this was when she was coming up with a plan to get Rich to join Heathers as Kurt. It was a difficult task, of course, but when she had Rich listen to enough songs so that he and Jake would break out in song in the hallway, she was set. Christine nodded at her friends. 

 

“Yeah, but listen to this.” 


	4. Announcement (sorry)

Wow ok guys i'm really sorry I haven't been updating but

It might be slower because i just started school!! 

sorry guys I hope you don't all hate me because i have no motivation

sorry


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